Fact and Fiction in the Neuropsychology of Art

Zaidel's book is widely considered to be a landmark piece the field, and for this reason it deserves careful consideration. Her approach to the neuropsychology of art combines neurological, evolutionary and cognitive perspectiv es. One aspect of this programme is the study of brain damage in established artists: the r elationship between art and certain brain regions is investigated through an examination of t he difference between post-damage and- damage works of a painter suffering brain damage. This aspect of Zaidel's programme is the focus of this essay. Our conclusion will be critica l: the methods used are inappropriate to the subject matter, and progress in the study of neurop sychology of art is more likely to be made if the topic is approached in a different way. We s hould emphasise, however, that we do not reach this conclusion because we generally have a s ceptical perspective on reductionist programmes such as Zaidel's. In our view there is n o good reason to believe that we could not, at least in principle, one day have a thorough understanding of the physiology behind our ability to create, imagine, enjoy and recognize art . The aim of Zaidel's project is a good one. However, it is important that the methods used to w ork out reductive relations are sound, and in fact have the desired implications.